


Bureaucracy is Fun

by lovesikkle



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Axl is neurodivergent, Crocs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27193759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovesikkle/pseuds/lovesikkle
Summary: Axl's company always cheers up Rosie, and it looks like she really needs it today.
Kudos: 6





	Bureaucracy is Fun

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually the prize for a raffle I did on my Twitter dot com @lovesikkle, and if you want to enter the next one, I plan on doing another soon. I also take commissions, so feel free to check me out.

Rosie sighed a deep sigh and pressed her palms to her eyes. She swore her processors were about to overload with how many legal clauses she was reading. She groaned softly and pulled down her lower eyelids as she turned her attention back to the paper in front of her. The pneumatic door to the medbay hissed open, and instead of an injured Reploid coming through, X came in, carrying what Rosie knew, unfortunately, was another box of documents.

“You doing okay?” He asked, placing it next to the other three boxes at her station.

“Holding up,” she replied softly. “Please tell me that’s not full.”

X raised his eyebrows and looked away. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Rosie let out a deep sigh. “It’s not your fault, Commander,” she said. “Gotta love bureaucracy.”

“You don’t have to call me Commander,” X said.

“I know,” Rosie responded. “I know. Anyways. What’s on your schedule today?”

X shrugged. “Just running things around for Signas, I guess,” he said.

Rosie scoffed. “Don’t we have trainees for that?” she asked.

“They’re busy with Zero,” he replied.

Rosie cracked a wicked smile. “Good for them,” she said. “But, yeah. Good luck running around. I’m rooting for you.”

“I’m rooting for you, too. Remember to take breaks,” he said, turning to leave. “If I don’t see you tonight, I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said, popping the top off of her highlighter again and going about reading the documents again. “Dr Cain, bless your heart, but did you really need to make me the department head?” She muttered, picking out yet another line that she didn’t like the look of. “I didn’t not go to medical school to read audits all day.”

The door hissed open again, and Rosie preemptively closed her eyes and slumped back into her chair. At least having the final say in deciding the budget meant that she could afford a nice chair at her station. She cracked open one eye, expecting more documents, but was met with a much more pleasant surprise.

“Hey, kiddo,” she said, sitting back up.

Axl stood in the doorway, peeking in tentatively. “You’re not busy, are you?” He asked.

Rosie chuckled. “I was just about to take a break,” she said, gesturing for him to come over.

“You look swamped,” he said, shedding some of the shyness as soon as the door closed behind him.

Rosie shrugged. “It’s just the annual reports,” she said. “At least they only come once a year. It’s just department head stuff that they need me to sign off on.”

“That sounds boring,” he said, pulling up a stool from one of the exam rooms and sitting across from her.

“It’s tremendously boring,” Rosie laughed. “It makes me wish I had it in me to be a Hunter, but someone has to fix everyone up. Zero would be, what, triple dead if it weren’t for me?”

Axl laughed. “Yeah! You’ve gotten me out of some pretty serious jams, too,” he said. “Thanks for all you do.”

“I’m here for a reason, kiddo,” she said with a smile. “But thanks for the acknowledgement. It feels good to be recognized. So, what brings you in today?”

“Just wanted to hang out,” Axl said. “If that’s okay.”

Rosie shook her head playfully. “When it’s this slow? It’s always okay,” she said with a small laugh. “You know I love your company, too.”

Axl smiled wide. Rosie always made him feel like he belonged. “Thanks, Rosie,” he said brightly. “But basically, I found these cool new shoes that I’m really interested in and I kinda wanted to show them to you,” he said, whipping out his phone.

“I didn’t know you were a sneakerhead,” Rosie said, leaning over to look at his screen. “Oh, those are interesting.”

He showed her a photo of a red pair of shoes with holes in them, and at least to Rosie, they appeared to be made of some sort of plasticky material.

“They’re called Crocs,” Axl said, showing her a second photo of a girl decked out in bright colors and copious hair bows wearing a teal pair with mermaid tails and waves molded onto the sides. “They’re from way back in 2001, but they first got popular in 2006. This photo’s from around the twenties.”

Rosie nodded. “That was a long time ago,” she said. “Good thing that’s from the internet era.”

“Right? Apparently they were super polarizing,” he said, showing Rosie another photo of a goth man wearing black Crocs with platforms on them. “A lot of people think they’re ugly, but I think they’re cool.”

“They certainly have personality,” she said, smiling as he continued to show her his gallery of photos of people wearing Crocs.

“And you can give them extra personality! You can pop little charms into the holes and customize them however you want,” he said excitedly. “Like if I wanted to write my name on the side of a pair of Crocs, I could! I’m not sure if there would be enough room to fit ‘Rosie’ on there, though...”

Rosie giggled. “I don’t need to write my name on a pair of Crocs to know they’re mine, kiddo,” she said, reaching out and ruffling up his wild red hair. “But I bet they’d look cool with your name on them.”

Axl smiled at the touch. “Thanks! I really like the way they look paired with decora fashion,” he said. “I just love decora in general. It’s so much fun to wear everything that makes you happy all at the same time.”

“That sounds like a good way to approach fashion,” Rosie said, resting her cheek in her palm. “Fashion should be all about expressing yourself. Can you tell me more about it?”

Axl’s face lit up. He showed her the second photo again. “This girl’s wearing decora fashion! It’s a kind of Japanese street fashion characterized by being busy and colorful! Obviously, ‘decora’ is derived from ‘decoration,’ and another pillar of it is the accessories! See how many bracelets and hair clips she’s got in? That’s how you can tell it’s decora and not just any other run-of-the-mill Harajuku street fashion. I really wanna visit Harajuku one day and dress up. It just looks like so much fun!”

“I think this is really cool, kiddo,” Rosie said, smiling encouragingly at him. “Who knows, maybe if I get some time off, we could visit for the weekend.”

“You really think so!?” Axl cried, nearly bouncing out of his seat. His eyes were absolutely glittering with excitement.

“I’d love to,” she said, giggling. “We can dress up together. I’ll take you down to Claire’s and you can pick out whatever you want.”

Axl squealed excitedly and began flapping his arms. “Aw, Rosie, you’re too nice to me!” He cackled. “I can really pick out anything?”

“Anything you want,” she confirmed. “Just promise you’ll help me put together something cute for the trip.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Axl laughed. “You’re gonna fit right in! Your hair already screams decora!”

“Thanks, kiddo,” Rosie said with a muted chuckle. “I love seeing you get so excited about things.”

“I love being excited about things,” he said, settling back down onto the stool, now bouncing his leg. “Nobody liked to listen to me talk back when I was with Red Alert, so having you around is like-,” he paused. “It’s just really awesome!”

“I would say I’ll kick all of their asses, but you already took care of that one for me, kiddo,” Rosie said with a smile. “It’s so interesting to me to hear what goes on inside your head. You’re just so different, but in a good way, you know? Like, you find all of these cool things to show me that I wouldn’t have found on my own. You’re like a door to a completely different world, and I just don’t see how anyone can find that annoying. It’s just always so interesting. Do you know if they still sell Crocs? I’ve been wearing the same style sneakers since the Hunters formed. Maybe I’m due for a change.”

Axl’s hands flapped briefly. “Yeah, you can get them on their website!” He said. “Do you want me to show you?”

Rosie opened up her computer screen. “We can use the big computer,” she said, tilting her head and gesturing for him to join her behind the desk. “Crocs dot com?”

“Yeah,” Axl replied, scooting the stool over. 

“Wow,” Rosie said, scrolling through their about section. “They really have been around for over a hundred years. That’s really impressive.” She navigated to their inventory, and was immediately in awe by the sheer amount of colors, finishes, and styles they stocked. “So, did you have a certain style you wanted?”

“Oh, I can’t afford a pair right now,” Axl said, still browsing happily with her.

Rosie scoffed. “Who said you were paying? Pick some out,” she said, tilting her head towards the screen.

“Oh, Rosie, you really don’t have to-,” he said, waving his hands in protest.

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve got years and years of my salary saved up, go ahead and treat yourself,” she said, rolling out of the way and guiding his hand onto the mouse. “I’m serious. Go ahead.” 

Axl smiled and set about picking out a set. He decided on a pearl finished teal pair, and scooted away to tell Rosie he was done. 

“That’s it?” She asked. She came back to the computer and picked out a wide array of charms, a second pair of black ones for him, and a pink pair for herself before checking out. “That’s better. They’re going to be here in three to seven business days. I’ll be watching the mail room for you.”

Axl giggled. “You’re really too nice to me, Rosie,” he said. “Zero would have told me they were stupid and X would tell me to stop wasting my time.”

“Yeah, well, they’re X and Zero,” She said, smiling at him. “They’re always going to be like that. I’ve always been pretty laid back, though. We both lucked out having each other.”

“Agreed,” Axl said. “I’m glad that I decided to leave Red Alert. It was really scary, but man, things have totally paid off! Knowing you is probably my favorite part of being a Hunter.”

Rosie smiled a comforting smile at him. “Let me tell you a secret, kid,” she said, leaning into him. “You’re always the highlight of my day.”

Axl laughed out loud. “Of course I am, your day is so boring!” He said. “But thanks. It means a lot to know that you like being around me.”

“It’s such a shame to me that people can never see you for who you are,” she said. “But I’m also so glad you left Red Alert. Obviously I can imagine life without you because I’ve been doing this for over a decade, but I really don’t want to. I don’t want to be without the little birdie who sings songs of tacky footwear to me.”

Axl giggled. “They’re not that tacky!” He protested playfully.

Rosie smiled wide. “They’re the perfect amount of tacky,” she assured him. “I bet they’re comfortable, at least.”

“That was their claim to fame, actually! They were comfortable water shoes that were first shown at a boat show! Back then, they only had 200 pairs made, but look at where they are now! We’re gonna be the talk of the base when our Crocs show up, I just know it!”

Rosie giggled. She would have to get on Zero to not tell him they were tacky. “We sure will be,” she said. “I bet they’re going to suit you more then they’re going to suit me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Axl asked, eyes narrowed at Rosie

“Everything looks better on you,” Rosie stated. “There’s a reason why I wear the same thing every day.”

“Because you’re lazy?” Axl asked with a snort.

“No,” she retorted, smiling back at him. “Well, one, because it’s convenient to work like this, but it’s also because I don’t really look great in real clothes.”

“Pft, you would look great in a pretty, fluffy dress!” He argued. “I’m going to find you the cutest, most rainbow-y dress to wear to Harajuku, and you’re going to look amazing! I can guarantee it.”

Rosie giggled. “Send me the link when you find the perfect one,” she said. “I’ll gladly dress up in whatever you think suits me. I trust your eye for fashion more than X’s. I swear, every time he buys me clothes, I look like I have the body shape of a potato.”

Axl cackled. “Yeah, that’s pretty X of him!” He said. “I’ll find you the most funky-fresh outfit in existence. I promise you that.”

“Oh, funky-fresh, huh?” She asked, eyes widened at the thought of herself being described as funky-fresh. “Is that what the kids are saying these days?”

“That’s what the Axl is saying these days,” he replied, pointing to himself and slicking down his eyebrows with one hand. 

Rosie giggled. “Ah, well, if I had to choose one person to describe as funky-fresh it would certainly be you,” she said.

“That’s right, baby!” Axl cried out, raising both of his hands. “Funky-fresh forever!”

Rosie leaned back in her chair and smiled at him. “Whatever you say, kiddo,” she chuckled.

Axl smiled back at her and turned his attention to the boxes on her desk. “Jeez, do you still have to go through all of these?” He asked.

Rosie nodded slowly. “Yeah. It’s gonna take quite a while, but I’ll make it. I always have,” she replied.

“What’s that word you always use to describe the boring part of work?” He asked, head tilted slightly.

“Bureaucracy,” Rosie replied. “That’s just a word for a system based on rules and procedures. It’s a boring and frustrating word for a boring and frustrating system.”

“That sucks. Do you need any help around the bay while you’re working?” He asked.

“Not right now, but thank you for the offer, kiddo. You’re always so helpful. When Zero comes in, all he wants to do is talk, talk, talk,” she responded. “Not that I don’t like to talk, I just usually have things to do. At least X comes when he knows I’m not busy. You’re Rosie’s little helper, and I appreciate you so much for that.”

“Aw, yeah, I have a title,” Axl said excitedly. “I guess I’m just a bit of a busybody.”

“You’re in good company,” Rosie said. “I got all the linens cleaned and folded before noon. Not that they were dirty for the most part, I just needed to do something, you know?”

“I know,” Axl replied.

“You could always head to the training simulators if you need something to do,” Rosie said. “Just make sure you go when Zero’s on trainee duty. Wouldn’t wanna be in there with him when he’s going hard. Did I ever tell you the story of what he did to Armored Armadillo?”

“X told me when I first got recruited,” Axl said. “It’s really a horror story.”

“Now imagine being me and needing to stitch him up,” Rosie said. “Ugh, all that rewiring took hours...” She let out a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. “Whatever. Still not as bad as some of the things Zero’s come back to base with. I’m always surprised by how reckless he can be. You’re really careful out there. As a medic, I’m proud. I don’t think you’ve ever been a hassle to fix up.”

Axl smiled widely. “I try my hardest,” he said proudly. “I know you’re always stressed out.”

Rosie smiled tenderly. “Thanks for thinking about me. If you ever do get really hurt, know that I’ll fix you right up. No Hunter left behind, you know?” She said, elbowing him softly.

“Yeah. Thanks, Rosie,” he said.

“Axl and Zero, please report to Navigation,” the intercom blared, and the two of them recoiled at the feedback.

“Jeez, I gotta get Douglas to fix that,” she said, shaking her head out. “Anyways. I know what that means. Good luck out there, kiddo.”

“Thanks,” Axl said, patting her head and returning the stool to the proper exam room before sprinting out of the bay.

She sighed as the doors hissed open and closed one more time, leaving her alone with her mountains of paperwork. She ran her hands through her hair and picked up her highlighter, tucking it behind her ear. At least she had that trip to Harajuku to think about. She was never one for playing human, but the thought of Axl’s face as they walked down the streets, people watching and window shopping made it so worth it to her. She looked down at her beat up pink sneakers. Maybe those Crocs would become her new go-to. They probably wouldn’t provide as much protection, but they would certainly be a good morale boost to both herself and Axl. She loved making that kid smile. Something about it was so infectious, and she wanted to watch it in bloom for hours and hours. He seemed so desperate for companionship sometimes, and Rosie couldn’t help but see a little bit of her younger self in him. He was an eager, scrappy kid who just wanted to prove himself to everyone. She knew the feeling of craving validation too well. She would do everything in her power to make him feel like he belonged. Like he was special and worthy of love and praise. He was already shaping up to be one of the finest Hunters on base, and Rosie would be the first person to sign off on his promotion when the day came.

“You’re something else, kiddo,” she murmured, signing off on another page. “Don’t ever change.”


End file.
